Atlanta Hawks Beat Portland Trail Blazers 122-113

Recap

For the second straight night, the Atlanta Hawks were 13-point favorites and barely escaped with a victory over an inferior opponent. For the second straight night, Trae Young scored 40+ points which is the only reason why the Hawks picked up the pair of wins.

Ball 👏 movement 👏 pic.twitter.com/CDy4vqZdU8
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 15, 2022

But a win is a win. It's March, so the mantra is 'Survive and Advance.' The Hawks struggled mightily on offense, shooting 36.7% from the field and 25% from three. Kevin Huerter and Bogdan Bogdanovic shot a combined 3-17 (17%) from deep. Clint Capela shot 4-12 from the field. The bench provided little help outside of Onyeka Okongwu. The team was definitely missing John Collins and Danilo Gallinari.

It was an uphill battle for the Hawks' defense as always. With the Trail Blazers missing a slew of starters and role players, they looked to a young backcourt that ate on offense. Josh Hart, Trendon Watford, and Brandon Williams scored 31, 22, and 20 points, respectively. Much like last night, a trio of guards scored 20+ points against the Hawks.

The Blazers led by as much as 15 points. They outrebounded the Hawks 56-50 and outscored them in the paint 62-52. They could have easily won this game, and the Hawks should thank their lucky stars for another night of Trae Young fireworks.

Post-Game Interviews

Hawks head coach Nate McMillan said, "I thought we established our defense in the third quarter. We really didn't do a good job of controlling the ball, keeping the ball in front of us in that first half, and they were able to just get downhill with their attacks."

McMillan praised the growth of his point guard. "He's the guy who's going to establish the tempo for us. And he's done a good job of that in these last few games of playing faster, looking to attack, being aggressive."

Trae dropped 46 then told Tony Parker all about it. pic.twitter.com/StGibwwE0x
— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) March 15, 2022

The Hawks next game is Wednesday night in Charlotte against the Hornets. As always, we will have plenty of content for you between now and then. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's AllHawks.com for breaking news, highlights, and analysis.

This Atlanta Hawks fan came to State Farm Arena prepared for anything including virtual reality.

Trae Young led the Atlanta Hawks with another herculean effort tonight. The All-Star point guard had another 40+ point game last night against the Pacers.

Atlanta Hawks small forward De'Andre Hunter struggled with his outside shooting. But he was able to score around the rim and play good defense.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Josh Hart went off against the Hawks. With so many players out, the Blazers relied heavily on Hart for offense and defense.

Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela was great on the boards again tonight. However, he did not provide much offensive production.

Stats

Hawks Leaders

Trae Young - 46 PTS, 12 AST

De'Andre Hunter - 20 PTS, 3 REB

Kevin Huerter - 14 PTS, 4 REB

Trail Blazers Leaders

Josh Hart - 31 PTS, 7 REB

Trendon Watford - 22 PTS, 9 REB

Brandon Williams - 20 PTS, 6 AST

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